The present invention relates generally to a communication network and, more particularly, to a first come only served communication network.
The state of the art of signal selective communication networks is well represented and alleviated to some degree by the prior art apparatus and approaches which are contained in the following U.S. Patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,871,743 issued to Fulenwider on Mar. 18, 1975;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,470,154 issued to Yano on Sep. 4, 1984;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,272 issued to Yano on May 7, 1985; and
U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,878 issued to Vaidya on Mar. 15, 1988.
The Fulenwider patent is directed to an optical crosspoint switching matrix comprising an array of several stags of subswitches. Each subswitch includes a number of inlets and outlets of optical channels. Signals conveyed on the optical channels are sequences of "on and off" pulses, grouped in time slot, assigned to the subscribers communicating at that instant. Each subswitch functions to steer the time slot pulses from a given inlet to a particular outlet by acoustical beam steerers using acoustic-optic interaction.
The Yano patent '154 discloses an optical communication network which includes a plurality of nodes and optical fibers for interconnecting the nodes whereby an optical signal may be transmitted from a source node to a destination node which may be determined selectively. Each node includes input channels, output channels and a connection control device for controlling the connection between the input and output channels.
The Yano patent '272 describes a communication network which includes a plurality of nodes which are connected by transmission lines, preferably of optical fibers. One or more terminals such as general purpose computers are connected to selected ones of the nodes also via the transmission lines. Each of the nodes comprises a plurality of input channels, a like plurality of output channels and a connection controller for controlling the connecting condition between the input and output channels. Each of the input channels is paired with one of the output channels.
The Vaidya patent discusses a self-routing switch node combining electronic and photonic switching. A node is responsive to an address received via the electrical sublink of an input link to establish both an electrical and photonic connection for the subsequent communication of both electrical and photonic data to an output link designated by the address. The switch node selects the designated output link from a set of similarly address designated output links all of which are equally capable of establishing the path.
While the above-cited references are instructive, there still remains a need to provide an apparatus which distributes and transmits incoming signals to a distribution mode on the basis of signal arrival. The present invention is intended to satisfy that need.